Darwin Award for Call Center Conversations

Darwin Award Contest — Actual Call Center Conversations! Which gets your vote for the Darwin Award? Have a call center conversation to share?

Customer: ‘I’ve been calling 700-1000 for two days and can’t get through; Can you help?’

Operator: ‘Where did you get that number, sir?’

Customer: ‘It’s on the door of your business.’

Operator: ‘ Sir, those are the hours that we are open.’

Samsung Electronics

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Caller: ‘Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?’

Operator: ‘I’m sorry, sir, I don’t understand who you are talking about.’

Caller: ‘On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and telephone Jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the number for Jack?’

Operator: ‘I think it means the telephone plug on the wall.’

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Caller: ‘Does your European Breakdown Policy cover me when I am traveling in Australia ?’

Operator: ‘Does the product name give you a clue?’

RAC Motoring Services

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Caller (inquiring about legal requirements while traveling in Europe)

‘If I register my car in France , and then take it to England , do I have to change the steering wheel to the other side of the car?’

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Directory Inquiries

Caller: ‘I’d like the number of the Argo Fish Bar, please’

Operator: ‘I’m sorry, there’s no listing. Are you sure that the spelling is correct?’

Caller: ‘Well, it used to be called the Bargo Fish Bar but the ‘B’ fell off.’

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Then there was the caller who asked for a knitwear company in Woven.

Operator: ‘Woven? Are you sure?’

Caller: ‘Yes. That’s what it says on the label — Woven in Scotland ‘

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On another occasion, a man making heavy breathing sounds from a phone box told a worried operator: ‘I haven’t got a pen, so I’m steaming up the window to write the number on.’

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Tech Support: ‘I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop.’

Customer: ‘OK.’

Tech Support: ‘Did you get a pop-up menu?’

Customer: ‘No.’

Tech Support: ‘OK . Right-Click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?’

Customer: ‘No.’

Tech Support: ‘OK, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?’

Customer: ‘Sure. You told me to write ‘click’ and I wrote ‘click’.’

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Tech Support: ‘OK. At the bottom left hand side of your screen, can you see the ‘OK’ button displayed?’

Customer: ‘Wow! How can you see my screen from there?’

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Caller: ‘I deleted a file from my PC last week and I just realized that I need it. So, if I turn my system clock back two weeks will I get my file back again?’

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This has to be one of the funniest things in a long time. I think this guy should have been promoted, not fired. This is a true story from the WordPerfect Helpline, which was transcribed from a recording

monitoring the customer care department. Needless to say the Help Desk employee was fired; however, he/she is currently suing the WordPerfect organization for ‘Termination without Cause.’

Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee. (Now I know why they record these

conversations!):

Operator: ‘Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?’

Caller: ‘Yes, well, I’m having trouble with WordPerfect.’

Operator: ‘What sort of trouble??’

Caller: ‘Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.’

Operator: ‘Went away?’

Caller: ‘They disappeared’

Operator: ‘Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?’

Caller: ‘Nothing.’

Operator: ‘Nothing??’

Caller: ‘It’s blank; it won’t accept anything when I type.’

Operator: ‘Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?’

Caller: ‘How do I tell?’

Operator: ‘Can you see the ‘C: prompt’ on the screen?’

Caller: ‘What’s a sea-prompt?’

Operator: ‘Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?’

Caller: ‘There isn’t any cursor; I told you, it won’t accept anything I type.’

Operator: ‘Does your monitor have a power indicator??’

Caller: ‘What’s a monitor?’

Operator: ‘It’s the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it’s on?’

Caller: ‘I don’t know.’

Operator: ‘Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes

into it. Can you see that??’

Caller: ‘Yes, I think so.’

Operator: ‘Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it’s plugged into the wall.

Caller: ‘Yes, it is.’

Operator: ‘When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one? ‘

Caller: ‘No.’

Operator: ‘Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.’

Caller: ‘Okay, here it is.’

Operator: ‘Follow it for me, and tell me if it’s plugged securely into the back of your computer.’

Caller: ‘I can’t reach.’

Operator: ‘OK. Well, can you see if it is?’

Caller: ‘No.’

Operator: ‘Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?’

Caller: ‘Well, it’s not because I don’t have the right angle — it’s because it’s dark.’

Operator: ‘Dark?’

Caller: ‘Yes – the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.’

Operator: ‘Well, turn on the office light then.’

Caller: ‘I can’t.’

Operator: ‘No? Why not?’

Caller: ‘Because there’s a power failure.’

Operator: ‘A power … A power failure? Aha. Okay, we’ve got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff that your computer came in?’

Caller: ‘Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.’

Operator: ‘Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.’

Caller: ‘Really? Is it that bad?’

Operator: ‘Yes, I’m afraid it is.’

Caller: ‘Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?’

Operator: ‘Tell them you’re too stupid to own a computer!’

When Prayers Follow Your Children to School

A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son, Timmy, walking to school.  He didn’t want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe.

So she had an idea of how to handle it.  She asked a neighbor, Mrs. Goodnest, if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn’t notice her.  Mrs. Goodnest said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl, Marcy, set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor boy he know.  She did this for the whole week.  As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy’s little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally he said to Timmy, “Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?”

Timmy nonchalantly replied, “Yeah, I know who she is.”

The friend said, “Well, who is she?”

That’s just Shirley Goodnest,” Timmy replied, “and her daughter Marcy.”

“Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?”

Well,” Timmy replied, you see…

ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?

If you read this far, you can’t turn back now . . .

Ok, then,  here goes . . .

“Every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, ‘cuz she worries about me so much.  And in the Psalm, it says, ‘Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life’, so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it!”

(Special thanks  to Dr. David Goldenberg for this story!)

Enjoy your day!